Reminder: BBAW Award Nominations

If you plan to nominate your favorite book bloggers for Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards, today is the last day to do so. If you need to see the categories again, you can see them here. You don't have to be a blogger or registered for this event to nominate - anyone can nominate any book blog for these awards. All you have to do is send an e-mail to My Friend Amy at Bbawawards(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah's Key starts out by oscillating chapters between Julia Jarmond in France 2002 and a nameless young girl in France 1942. Julia is an American who has been living in France for the past 25 years. She works for an English-language publication and has been assigned to write an article about the anniversary of the great roundup at the Velodrome d'Hiver (Vel' d'Hiv'). The nameless young girl is the daughter of Jews living in France, and her family is arrested during Vel' d'Hiv'. The reader knows the two stories must converge. And converge they do when it is revealed that the young girl is Sarah Starzynksi, and she escaped this horror. Today we might say she was "one of the lucky ones" because she escaped, but this novel illustrates how very unlucky she was to escape. No Jewish people were "lucky" during this horrible nightmare that blemishes our world's history.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Griffin through Goodreads FirstReads program. It is set to be released in October of this year. Stories of the human experience during World War II always intrigue me. I think it is because I, to this day, cannot comprehend the horror of this time period. I feel the need to TRY to understand it better, try to understand how so many people could inflict pain and suffering of this magnitude on other people. I also need to experience all the people who did something - anything - to try to combat this heinous crime.

Sarah's Key, while fictional, helped me to experience a little more of this. Sarah's Key illustrates some of those people who tried to help, and the suffering they experienced as well. de Rosnay does an excellent job of illustrating the psychological effects of the Vel' d'Hiv' on a wide variety of people: Sarah and the other Jews rounded up, the French people surrounding the camp, the descendants of survivors, and people like me...people who have simply learned about it and did not experience it first hand.

de Rosnay alludes to the fact that the French police were not addressed in the novel; this element might have made the book a bit stronger, but it also might have detracted from what was already there. I don't know. And maybe it would have depended on how it was approached. But they were a group I found myself wondering about, while reading. Maybe that perspective would make for another interesting book by itself; who knows?

While there are elements of the plot that are predictable, there are other elements I didn't see coming at all. I found myself completely caught up in the life of these two women, and I desperately wanted to know what would happen with each. I, at times, became very irritated with Julia. Her husband was repulsive almost from page one and she seemed to harp on his "physical appeal." I found it hard to understand why such an independent, intelligent woman would tolerate his flagrant egocentricity. But, at the same time, I was taken with her dedication to finding out what happened to Sarah Starzynksi. Those two parts of her character didn't seem to blend for me.

I absolutely adored the character of Sarah. About midway through the novel de Rosnay stops oscillating the stories and the reader learns about Sarah through Julia's investigations, leaving Sarah's fate a mystery until the pieces are put together. Sarah's story is heart-wrenching. When she escapes from the camp with a young girl named Rachel, they take their stars off their shirts and dig a hole to leave them in. Rachel says, "'I'm burying the stars. They're dead. In their grave. Forever and ever.'" That single line resonates so much meaning for Sarah's character. It's one you really have to go back to after finishing the entire book to grasp the enormity of it.

An element that was especially startling for me was the fact that so many people wanted to still ignore the fact that Vel' d'Hiv' took place. Their attitude that it was better not to rehash the past was mortifying. I'm sure that it is easier and safer and more comfortable for some to cut themselves off and pretend this did not occur. But as this book illustrates, it's long past time for those people to be comfortable at the expense of the people who were so terribly scarred by this era.

I'm thankful for books like Sarah's Key. It is fiction, but Vel' d'Hiv' was not. And prior to reading this book, I did not know about this horror in France. I am glad I will not remain ignorant to it.

Rearranging the TBR pile...

I receive the DorothyL list serve updates and recently a fellow DL'er asked how people determine the order of their To Be Read piles and what causes them to rearrange the order. I thought this question would make a great discussion topic for a post. Thus, today's post!

I have a ridiculous TBR pile...actually it is three large boxes, some overflow, and a list of books I don't own personally - probably somewhere in the vicinity of 200+ books. I don't guess there's an actually "established" order to that pile. And since I've started receiving books from authors and publishers, that's caused the way I read to change a bit.

In the past I just picked a book out that fit my mood. Or if I got started on a series, I'd read a bunch, if not all, of those consecutively. And then if something new came out by one of the authors I love, that would shoot to the top of the list. If I borrowed something from the library, that, of course, would have to go to the top of the list because it had to be returned. If someone recommended something to me or loaned me something, that moved up the priority list. There was no organization to this process. It was pretty much just chaos. Especially because I continued to buy books and add to the pile.

I still buy books to add to the pile - I don't think I'll ever be able to stop that. But this year I tried adding a personal goal of reading at least one book purchased prior to 2008 each month. I did really well until this month. For August I didn't fit one in. I'm not complaining. I had a couple months where I fit more than one in, so it will even out in the end. I've had a pretty good time with the books I did fit in this month, so all is well.

Now the top priority goes to books sent to me personally by authors. Next comes ARCs sent by publishers. And after that, it's back to the unorganized "system." There are certain authors that I will drop everything for; sometimes someone recommends a book that I just have to get right away. I've tried to curb my library habits in that I don't go and aimlessly roam. That typically results in me bringing home more books than I can read in the allotted borrowing time. I try to just request what I want online and go in, pick it up, leave. That prevents me from "over-borrowing."

The most important part is...there's always something there to read. A Goodreads friend had this quote on her profile and I snagged it, too. It pretty much sums everything up:

Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity... we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access, reassurance. — A. E. Newton

So how do YOU determine the order you'll read your books in? Share with us in the comments. In the meantime, Happy Reading!

Craig Johnson - YES, IT IS SO!

When I read a book that leaves me in sheer awe, it's an inexplicably wonderful experience. It adds to my quality of life. When I approach an author who writes a book like this and he/she agrees to do an interview with me, it leaves me speechless! I am so excited to have the honor of sharing with you Craig Johnson.

I discovered Craig's work this summer at the recommendation of a mystery-reader friend. I originally borrowed The Cold Dish on audio from the library, but once I started listening to it, I knew I had to actually have the book and see the words on the pages because they were so amazing. After the first time through, you would think I would learn my lesson, but I borrowed Death Without Company on audio and had the same experience. The reader for these two books is outstanding, and the audios are well worth listening to; I just need to experience the words for myself, I guess. The two books that follow these up are Kindness Goes Unpunished and Another Man's Moccasins. Another Man's Moccasins was just released this summer. All four books center around the folks of Absaroka County in Wyoming, especially Sheriff Walt Longmire.

When I finished The Cold Dish, I adored every character in the book. Craig has an amazing gift with character development. As I said in my review, I wanted to go live in Absaroka with these people; they really came to life for me. But, I do have to admit that I especially took a shine to Lucien. So, it was a great surprise to see him have a pretty strong focus in Death Without Company. I'm anxiously awaiting Kindness Goes Unpunished and Another Man's Moccasins now; I have all four books on order. These are definite musts for my library.

Before I start on the interview, I'd like to let you know that I reference an article about Craig from the Los Angeles Times. You can read that article yourself here. It's definitely worth checking out. Craig also has it available at his website. I tried to avoid repeating information that you can find at either resource. Craig's website is a fun experience in and of itself, and I "borrowed" these pictures from his site - there are more, so definitely go check them out. And you can sign up to receive his "Post-Its" in your e-mail as well. I know I'm thrilled every time one shows up in my Inbox. They are always fun - little snippets of his wonderful writing delivered right to your computer!

Well, that's plenty of my ramblings, let's get on to this great writer...Dr. Craig Johnson!

Q. In the L.A. Times article they mention that you are "entertaining" movie offers for your books. The vast majority of the time, I don't think Hollywood does justice to novels-turned-movies, but on a rare occasion it does happen. Are there some actors you feel could do justice for Walt, Henry, Vic - how about Lucien?

Craig: To be honest, and this is the first time I've done it concerning this question, I really don't think in terms of actors. Most of my characters are drawn from people I know, people I'm very close with. Arbitrarily picking a face off a screen, somebody I don't know and assigning them to characters that are very important to me seems a little odd. I guess if I had any say in the casting of a film of my work, which is highly unlikely, by the way, I'd only ask that they use appropriate actors in age and ethnicity. I'd like Walt to be his age, Vic to be played by an actress with an Italian heritage and that Henry and the other Cheyenne are played by actual Indians.

Q. Again from the L.A. Times article, it says after two years on the New York City Police force you decided it was time to move West and maybe write a book. Was there a catalyst for this decision? After all, it's a pretty dramatic change to go from being an officer of the law in NYC to being a writer living in a city with a population of 25!

Craig: It really wasn't as dramatic as it sounds; I'd just reached a point in my career where I was being courted by the warrants, narcotics, and a number of other divisions and was going to have to decide on a path that meant an investment of training and time. I'd been in New York for more than two years and wasn't getting any younger, so I decided to follow my dreams of building a ranch and writing novels. I'm a westerner by heart, and if given the chance I always knew that was where I'd end up -- I just took the chance earlier than later.

Q. Given that your dream was to be published by the same company as Steinbeck, I assume he would be included here, but are there any other writers you feel have influenced your style?

Craig: I'm afraid I'm going to bore you with this list, but here we go...Hemingway, he was so deceptively good at what he did. Dickens, his plot structures and depth of character still amaze me. George MacDonald Fraser for his humor. Harper Lee for the bitter-sweet. Alexander Dumas for his action. Dorothy Johnson for her sense of community. Walter Van Tilberg Clark for his morality. Wallace Stegner for his conservationism. George Bernard Shaw for his wit. Shakespeare for everything.

Q. Your education was in playwriting. Has this training affected your prose writing? Do you think you differ from other novelists because of it? (One of the reasons I ask this is because your dialogue is out of this world. Is that simply your God-given talent or did some of that training contribute to this gift?)

Craig: God-given talents are a little worrisome; if God gave them, doesn't that mean that he can take them away? I think a lot of daily miracles come down to one simple thing, work. Writers can be lazy as it's a profession without defined parameters - no office, no time clock, no boss or co-workers - so they have to be super attentive. That translates to dialogue and I continue to refine and listen to the way people talk. I think that studying playwriting helped me tremendously with that. Dialogue is always going to be tough - we're all experts at it - spending our days talking, and hopefully, listening to others. There's no litmus test like dialogue in writing; it's character unfiltered. You write bad dialogue, and it screams and bites you in the ass.

Q. When you aren't writing, what kinds of activities or hobbies do you like to take part in to keep yourself busy?

Craig: I have a ranch, so I'm not sure what you mean by 'hobbies'...? Just kidding. One thing, though, just because I said I built my ranch, doesn't mean it's finished. I have the horses and a number of old motorcycles, trucks, and tractors that I try and keep running. I think everybody has a 'technological year' inside them -- the year that technology advanced beyond where they're comfortable. I think mine was 1948.

Q. Can you share with us a memorable experience from a recent book tour? How was riding your motorcycle to your events this summer?

Craig: I decided to ride my motorcycle on the northwest portion of the tour this year and had a really wonderful time.

After finishing an event in Sunriver, OR, I had a day off and decided I’d hot-foot it down through Lakeview, swing north through the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge, do the loop at Steens Mountain, and then head south to Winnemucca and a Basque dinner at the St. Martin’s Hotel (more on that, later). So, for some strange reason, I decided to seek out and explore the part of Oregon and Nevada that was almost identical to Wyoming—maybe I was homesick. I’d eaten lunch at the French Glen Hotel (population 11—I told you it was like Wyoming) and had a family style lunch with one other man, who was a park ranger. I told him what I was doing, and he thought I was nuts. "That’s eight hours on dirt and gravel roads." I nodded as he continued spooning beef stew into his mouth, "Well it’s your rear-end, not mine."

Later that afternoon, I was whistling down the high desert valley toward Denio Junction and hadn’t seen another human in hours. Off in the distance, with a vista as straight and flat as a mason’s rule, I saw this orange sign on the side of the road that said Flagman Ahead. I slowed, and after a mile, there’s this young woman standing out there in the middle of nowhere. She’s holding the Stop side of the sign toward me, so I pull up and cut the engine. She was from the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Reservation. As she studied the Indian-chief badge on the front of my bike, she asked, "You Indian?"

I pulled off my helmet, and it became obvious how non-Indian I was. "Nope."

"Just traveling?"

I glanced at the tiny red and white cooler sitting on the gravel at roadside; it didn’t seem like a lot of supplies for a whole day. "I’m on a book tour."

"Really? What kind of books?"

"They’re mysteries, about a Wyoming sheriff." I rattled off a few titles.

"Nah, I haven’t read you. I read that guy, the one that writes about those two guys…"

Even with that vague of a description, I knew whom she was talking about. "Tony Hillerman."

"Yeah. That’s him." Her radio crackled as she slipped it from her belt and talked with someone, somewhere.

I looked around and still couldn’t see anything. "Are you out here alone?"

"Yeah, they got a highway patrolman comin’ through at speed, and there’s some road damage ahead and they were afraid that someone might change lanes."

"How fast is he coming?"

She looked back down the road behind her. "Fast."

We both saw him from a full mile away, and in twenty-four seconds he passed within ten feet from where I straddled my motorcycle and she stood. Her dark hair was still trailing after his slipstream when she turned the sign around to Slow, and smiled a dazzling grin. "You can go now."

For all I know, she’s still there. I've decided that Oregon is almost as weird as Wyoming.

Q. It sounds like you had ambitions to write a book for most of your life. And your life experiences have taken you from rural America to the center of urban life, giving you quite a diverse background. Was your goal always to write something in a Western style or did some other factor come in to play to make you decide on a small town sheriff in Wyoming?

Craig: No, it was always about the west for me, and I thought sheriffing was an aspect of law enforcement that hadn't been done to death. Walt has to be elected, so he's in constant contact with his constituency. I like that in the character; he's no 'lone wolf', but there's just something about a vertical figure on a horizontal landscape that haunts me.

Q. You've said that you don't plan to spend the rest of your life writing about Walt, Henry, Vick and gang, but is there still more to come for them?

Craig: I think that when I said that I was intimating that I wasn't going to write just that, but I really enjoy writing the series and don't see any reason to stop Kathryn Court, the president and publisher of Penguin USA, once looked me in the eye and said, "We're in this for the long haul, just so you know." I'm aware that I'm in a pretty wonderful situation -- and I'd miss these characters dreadfully if I weren't writing about them.

Q. Have you read anything, personally, in the last six months that you would recommend to folks who enjoy your books?

Craig: Richard Price's Lush Life. Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone.

Q. And finally, I like to ask this of everyone I highlight on my blog: There is a book out called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. What would be YOUR six-word memoir?

Craig: "Good man, yes it is so."

If you've read any of Craig's work, you know the significance of his six-word memoir. How fitting! I absolutely love it! If you haven't read anything yet, put him on your 'must read' list. You definitely won't regret it.

If you receive Craig's Post-It's, does the motorcycle response sound familiar? I was tickled pink when he used that question as a topic for his Post-It!

Many, many thanks to Craig for taking the time to share some responses to my questions. I know he's still in the throws of his book tour for Another Man's Moccasins, so I deeply appreciate his willingness to participate! I'm looking forward to the "long haul" with Walt, Henry, Vic, Lucien and gang - and anything else Craig decides to throw our way! We're in for the long haul, too, Craig! Best of luck with all your future endeavors.

Happy Reading, All!

More on BBAW

A few days ago I mentioned that I registered for Book Bloggers Appreciation Week. Well, My Friend Amy, who is hosting this todo, has nominations open for Book Blogger Awards.

I'm going to give you the low down on all of this and tell you what you can do to nominate book bloggers, but please don't see this as a campaign for votes. My feelings on awards (*cough* the Oscars *cough*) is that you have either earned them or you haven't. There shouldn't be any "campaigning". So, if you think I'm worthy of such an award and you nominate me, I'm terribly honored...many thanks. If you think there is a better mystery/suspense book blogger out there, by all means nominate that person. Would you drop me a line and let me know what's great about that person's blog??? ;)

O.k., the award categories are:

Best General Book Blog
Best Kidlit Blog
Best Christian/Inspirational Fiction Blog
Best Literary Fiction Blog
Best Book Club Blog
Best Romance Blog
Best Thrillers/Mystery/Suspense Blog
Best Non-fiction Blog
Best Young Adult Lit Blog
Best Book/Publishing Industry Blog
Best Challenge Host
Best Community Builder
Best Cookbook Blog
Best History/Historical Fiction Blog
Best Design
Most Chatty
Most Concise
Most Eclectic Taste
Best Name for a Blog
Best Published Author Blog
Best Book published in 2008
Best Meme/Carnival/Event
Most Extravagant Giveaways
Best Book Community site
Most Altruistic Blog
Funniest/Most Humorous Blog
Best Sci-fi/fantasy/horror/spec-fic blog
Best Commenter/commentator

You don't have to be a blogger to submit nominations - ANYONE CAN NOMINATE! All you have to do is send an e-mail to Bbawawards(AT)gmail(DOT)com. You may nominate up to two people in each category. You have until AUGUST 31st to nominate! So, don't hesitate if you're interested in nominating. Get those nominations in soon.

Hopefully I've included all the info you need. If not, the links at the top go to My Friend Amy's site where she highlights the award nominations, and you can always feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.

Happy Reading!!

Put it on a Post-It!

Happy Thursday everyone! It's a very happy Thursday for me - two reasons. First, I am going to have a long, long weekend thanks to some vacation days, so today is my last work day this week. Second, I get to announce to you all that TOMORROW I am hosting an interview with CRAIG JOHNSON!!!! Isn't this fantastic news? Make sure you write yourself a reminder...on a post-it...and hang it on the door jamb....so you don't forget to check back.

If you haven't read any of Craig Johnson's work yet, this is a perfect opportunity for you to learn a little about him and get the bug. His work really is top-notch. If you HAVE read Craig's work, I know you're as excited as I am to check back tomorrow. See you then.

Until tomorrow, you absolutely have to check out Corey's post today over at The Drowning Machine. For all those people who just don't "get" my love of books, they can check this post out - Corey put it into words...I'm sure they won't wonder any longer.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl living smack in the middle of World War II and Nazi Germany, as told from the point of view of Death. At the onset of the novel, Liesel is traveling with her birth mother and her brother to be turned over to a foster family. Liesel's brother, Werner, dies on the train traveling to the foster family, so Liesel is left alone with the two strangers, Hans and Rosa Hubermann.

Liesel slowly grows to be one of the Hubermann family. She forages a special bond with Hans, her "Papa" who is a painter, plays the accordian and teaches her to read. Hans committed a grave faux pas by painting over Jewish slurs on a building. He, therefore, is ostracized by "the Party." That does not deter the Hubermann family. They are compassionate people, who take in a Jewish man named Max and hide him in their basement.

With the help of her Papa, Max, Rosa, her best friend Rudy and the mayor's wife, Ilsa Hermann, Liesel learns the power of words in a world that is literally falling apart around her.

The book jacket for The Book Thief reads "'It's just a small story, really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery...'" This was far from a small story at 552 pages, but they literally flew by. Markus Zusak is extraordinary, plain and simple.

The Book Thief is classified as a young adult novel, and I have to admit that I have not read much young adult literature since I stopped teaching high school English. I am grateful that this book was on the reading list for the East Bay Mystery Reader's Group this month. I would not have known about it otherwise, and I would have missed out on an incredible reading experience.

Zusak picked an appropriate, yet unique, perspective from which to tell the story of Liesel Meminger. Who could be more qualified to "see all" during this world's most horrifying era than Death? Death's description of himself is wonderful:

***A Small Piece of Truth***
I do not carry a sickle or scythe.
I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold.
And I don't have those skull-like
facial features you seem to enjoy
pinning on me from a distance. You
want to know what I truly look like?
I'll help you out. Find yourself
a mirror while I continue.

And Zusak didn't choose to tell this story from the experience of a Jewish person but rather from the vantage point of a young German girl. While Liesel, the Hubermann's and their neighbors are waiting in a basement during an air raid, Death says,

As is often the case with humans, when I read about them in the book thief's words, I pitied them, though not as much as I felt for the ones I scooped up from various camps in that time. The Germans in basements were pitiable, surely, but at least they had a chance. That basement was not a washroom. They were not sent there for a shower. For those people, life was still achievable.

In this small segment I heard Zusak telling his reader not to think that the suffering of the innocent people outside could begin to be comparable to the suffering of the Jews in the camps, but to remember that most everyone suffered during this abomination; there were innocent people who tried to do the right thing and were overpowered by the evil prevailing.

One of the most powerful strengths of this novel is the way Zusak develops relationships between Liesel and the other characters. Liesel and Rudy, her best friend, are inseparable, always taking care of each other. The bond between Liesel and Ilsa Hermann can best be seen when Liesel smacks Ilsa with verbal insults:

Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from the words. From Liesel's words.

Ilsa had offered a gift because she felt bad that she had to stop sending clothes to be cleaned by Rosa. Liesel, being a young girl and not being able to see beyond herself, only felt betrayed and the gift was no consolation. The words Liesel threw could not have harmed Ilsa if she didn't care about Liesel. One of only many images in this book that illustrate the power of words.

And of course, the relationships between Liesel and her Papa, as well as that between Liesel and Max. They guide her in her growth, but she teaches them as well.

Sadly, we all know the plot of World War II, so this story isn't about the plot. It's about the characters. It's about the relationships between the characters. And it is told in such a way that you close the book at the end having felt every emotion you know of.

Zusak's talent with language is mesmerizing. The images that are conjured up for the reader enhance the tone of death and destruction, but still bring through the life that is happening in the midst of despair. At times there is literally music emanating from the words on the pages. And at other times, it is solemn or foreboding.

While you might have to venture into the Young Adult or Children's section of the library to find this book, if you haven't done so already, I highly recommend you do. It's a must read for us all; a reminder of the power of words and how blessed we are to hold that power!

Laguna Heat - T. Jefferson Parker

After killing a teenager in the line of duty, Tom Shepard resigns his big-city police badge and heads home to Laguna Beach to be sole member of the homicide division. His first case turns into a serial murder case where the murderer is sending the victims Bibles before he comes to murder them and burn their bodies.

As Tom investigates the murders, he begins to discover connections to his father, Wade Shepard, a former police officer and present-day minister. These connections also unearth information about the murder of Tom's mother Colleen. Colleen was murdered shortly after Tom's birth.

This is Parker's first novel, but not the first work I've read by him. While I enjoyed Laguna Heat, Parker definitely grew as a writer with subsequent novels. I listened to this book on audio and there were several places where I literally thought, "he didn't really say that, did he?" Some word choice and dialogue were a bit rough around the edges and were noticeably out of place.

Parker's cast of characters in this novel is nothing short of diverse. From Wade, the televised minister, to Little Theodore, a stereotypical biker who listens to Wade on the radio! My personal favorite would have to be the sea lion.

Despite being set in Laguna Beach, Parker creates a very melancholy tone. Tom is still attempting to deal with shooting the teenager as well as his divorce from Louise. His ex-wife has taken up with a Hollywood producer. Jane Algernon, the daughter of one of the murder victims, has a significant chip on her shoulder with regards to her relationship with her father. Helene Long is a suicidal alcoholic. So, despite the sun and money, Parker portrays a much darker side of Laguna Beach.

The plot was enjoyable. Not an overwhelming amount of suspense, but a good crime fiction plot. There were predictable elements, but overall, it was an enjoyable book to listen to in the car.

Blogging with Alafair

O.k., I finally got a DSL line...yeah, can you believe I've been maintaining this blog since January with a dial-up connection? Anyway, NOW I can watch all the YouTube videos that people post on their blogs. Trying to watch one of those on dial-up is a very painful experience, let me tell you! Even more so than waiting for my pictures to upload!

I'm sure it won't surprise you that the first one I watched was one Alafair Burke posted on her blog...it's her talking about Angel's Tip and some family background tidbits. Very cool. I at first thought, "hey, I need to post that on my blog, too." Then I thought more about it, and while I'd love to have her smiling face on my blog right now, I'd like even more for YOU to go take a look at her blog. She's such a fun blogger. I look forward to seeing her name highlighted on my Bloglines, telling me she has a new post. Recently she posted about folks with the name Alafair. Due to how cute every Alafair is, I'm seriously considering naming my first daughter Alafair...if there ever is a first daughter! ;)

Go check her out! You won't be sorry!!

Q&A with Ed Lynskey

I have to credit Alafair Burke with sending another wonderful author my way, Ed Lynskey. Like Tim Hallinan, Ed contacted me after he read my interview with Alafair. Then I had the chance to read Ed's book The Blue Cheer. If you're like me and you enjoy great characters in your crime fiction, you have to check out The Blue Cheer. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Pelham Fell Here which is Ed's next book starring Frank Johnson. It's actually some back story on Frank, and it just became available this month.

Since I hadn't heard of Ed Lynskey's work before he contacted me, I thought it would be a great idea to share some information about him with you all. Just in case you were as much in the dark as I was! Hope you enjoy my chat with Ed Lynskey:

Q. Who/what inspired you to start writing and pursue it as a career?

Ed: My writing career has evolved into two distinct segments. From college and through two decades, I wrote bushels of poems and reviews. A professor in a creative writing class I took by chance turned me on to writing poems.

I got paid in lots of contributor copies to fill up a couple foot lockers. From time to time, I see the same small press journals go up for sale on Ebay. Usually a contributor in them is famous like Sherman Alexie or Charles Bukowski. Anyway, it's nice to appear in ink next to such company.

I grew older and tireder (is that a real word?) of writing a product (poems) that few people seemed to want to read. I began to focus more on the writing of fiction - first the short stories, and then I branched into novels.

Actually now that I think about it, the first piece I ever published was a short story for a defunct literary magazine called Defying Gravity at the local community college. These days I find writing novels more of a satisfying challenge than anything else I've ever tried my hand at writing.

Q. Are there other writers you feel have influenced your writing style?

Ed: Style-wise, I admire a clean, crisp prose style whenever I read novels. Bill Pronzini exhibits this trait when I read his "Nameless Detective" series. A good deal of my reading in the crime fiction genre has been novels written in the golden age, say, post-World War II to 1970.

I like the better aspects to such pulp masters as Charles Williams, Gil Brewer, Ed Lacy, Wade Miller, and Day Keene. But the thing is these guys wrote in the 1950s and 1960s, and this is 2008. So, I filter their work through a modern sensibility because I'm not writing a parody or a pastiche.

I like their laconic prose, heady pace, and uncluttered dialogue. Today's books seem to go by the pound. I just don't have the time or vim to slog through 400 pages. It's also difficult to keep a narrative arc (you know the three acts: start, middle, end) even in a thriller over that length. There are exceptions, of course. Stephen Hunter does it better than most. So, shorter novels work better for me. Of course I'm finishing up a novel manuscript that runs 80K words, so go figure.

Q. You also review crime fiction. How has this part of your career affected your own crime fiction writing?

Ed: I see book reviewing as an adjunct activity to my writing fiction. I've done it for a long time for just about every genre of fiction written including literary, mainstream, and commercial titles.

Forced to write and think critically about other writers' novels have lent me some insight into what they do well and how they do it. Writing fair, smart reviews takes a lot of sweat and is a big responsibility. My reviewing has curtailed considerably in the past couple of years. Writing and revising my novels sap most of my best efforts.

Q. There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the decrease in newspaper book reviews. Do you feel this is a reflection of a decrease in interest in reading or are those book reviews merely moving to a new venue?

Ed: Right, the shrinking newspaper review space is a sad commentary on our state, isn't it? I think fiction in any genre is becoming less relevant in the corporate modern world. If you look at the slick magazines (Ladies Home Journal, Esquire, Redbook and Saturday Evening Post) from fifty years ago, you'll see each issue featured four or five short stories by diverse authors. I didn't live back then, but I've seen these magazines in my research for doing retrospective articles.

Not true now. The same page space is given over to recycled articles on how to lose weight without breaking a sweat or how to satisfy your mate by popping a sex pill or how to make your hair glisten like Christmas tinsel.

Here's the encouraging thing: when I go to our library, the place is packed. I see moms checking out basketfuls of books for their children. I see these ladies stuffing their book bags with mysteries. I mean they're toting enough heavy weight in their bags to give me a hernia. When I go to writers' conferences, fans and readers stand shoulder to shoulder to see their fave writers.

So, I refuse to believe there are fewer readers nowadays. The online venues seem to be picking up the slack. I enjoy reading the different blogs discussing books. People's reactions to novels sometimes vary with mine, and I take recommendations for my reading list from the blogs.

Q. What hobbies/interests keep you busy when you aren't writing?

Ed: Well, I'm a firm believer there has to be a life outside of writing. At my doctor's advice to shed pounds (or else dire things happen), I've been briskly walking daily for a half hour. We enjoy watching Washington , D.C.'s pro baseball team, the Nationals, play games. The team management built a marvelous stadium in Southeast D.C. We're big NFL Redskin fans for autumn viewing. Besides my paying work, taking care of a cat and a yard seem to keep me active. I like reading for my leisure, too. Lately, I've been dipping into Westerns, vintage and modern titles. It's like returning to my boyhood fun.

Q. Have you read anything in the last six months that you would recommend to readers who enjoy your work?

Ed: I've read so many books in the last six months they seem to blur together in my analog brain. Megan Abbott has been doing some great noir. J.D. Rhoades writes the top-notch Jack Keller, bounty hunter, series. Jason Starr does New York City noir with flair. Kevin O'Brien writes taut thrillers.

Q. Tell us a little about Private Investigator Sharon Knowles. Am I correct that she will be coming out in a short story collection soon?

Ed: Thanks for asking about Sharon. I created her as a counterpart to my hardboiled P.I. Frank Johnson. In other words, every now and then I tank on reading and writing noir and hardboiled fiction, you know? So rather than burn out and bail from the writing game, I wanted to work with a different series character having a softer edge.

Sharon isn't goofy or wimpy or sexy or sassy. She's just a regular person who happens to also be a smart, stubborn and tough investigator with a good heart. Her specialty is working with troubled youth in street gangs.

Her short stories have been reprinted by Ramble House who has also reprinted fiction by Bill Pronzini, James Reasoner, Ed Gorman, Gary Lovisi, Richard Lupoff, and Barry N. Malzberg.

Her collection of 20 short stories (all but one previously published) is A CLEAR PATH TO CROSS available at: http://www.ramblehouse.com/clearpath.htm

Q. Pelham Fell Here is supposed to go back in time to give Frank some "back story." And that's going to be released this month. What's in store for Frank in the FUTURE? Can you share some little tidbits with us?

Ed: Excellent question. Right now I don't know what will become of Frank. There's one more title, TROGLODYTES, under contract to appear next year. It takes place in Cappadocia, a region in Turkey I visited while I worked there in the 1990s. Frank flies to Turkey to investigate the disappearance of a wealthy American businessman and, of course, runs into a buzz saw.

I've heard a lot of discussion on when a series should bow out. The characters parody themselves, the plots grow flaccid, and the readers get disenchanted. But I haven't written a Frank Johnson book in the last four I've done, so I feel refreshed to tackle a new title. Right now I have an outline together. I believe Frank will sever an old relationship but gain a new friend.

One thought occurring to me is several critics have told me PELHAM FELL HERE is the best title of the series. So, that's encouraging to hear. I mean it wouldn't make a lot of sense to write another Frank Johnson book if his books began slipping gears.

Q. Does Frank or Sharon embody any of your personality traits? If so, which ones? If not, what influenced the development of their characters?

Ed: H'm, interesting question. I don't really see much of me in either of my private detective characters. Maybe an outside observer might draw comparisons. Well, I guess Frank has my dry sense of humor, so that's something.

Frank and his cronies developed as characters in the sixty or so short stories I wrote featuring him before I undertook the novels. As aforementioned, Sharon evolved from her own set of short stories. The short stories were the proving ground for both my detective characters.

I really want to know (and hopefully like) my character before I crawl into 300 pages with them. By contrast, I'm writing a stand alone novel now, and it's taking a lot of time to get some traction. I'm compelled to dwell on the characters until a clear picture emerges of just who they are and how they think.

Patience, grasshopper.

Q. And finally, I like to ask this of everyone I highlight on my blog. There is a book out called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. What would be YOUR six-word memoir?

Ed: Oh, I'd use some inane and sappy ditty like: "I did the best I could."

I have to say that I'M impressed with his best! And I'm looking forward to spending some more time with Frank Johnson. I'm also going to have to check out Sharon Knowles. Pelham Fell Here is available now through Ed's publisher, Mundania Press. And the other books in the Frank Johnson series are The Dirt-Brown Derby and The Blue Cheer.

Ed, thanks for taking time out to help us get to know you better! It's always such a fun experience to chat with the writers who create the characters and stories I love!

Thursday's This and That

Welp, August is into the home stretch so I'm not going to make the Summer Reading Challenge. It was supposed to focus on "intentional" reading. My list had to be predetermined, and I chose 17 books I thought I would get to. Everything I read I read intentionally, but trying to predict the books I'll read for the next three months can be a little tricky. I started out pretty well, and I did finish eleven from the list, with a possible twelfth still in the running - I'm listening to Do No Harm on my audio player. But some other books that weren't on my list came up, and I'm very glad they did. I'm not discouraged at not completing this challenge. I read far more than seventeen books, just not all the ones I planned out. I'm thinking the challenges might not be such a great idea for me. I don't really need encouragement to read, and it's difficult to plot a course when it comes to reading. I've received a few books from authors, I have one coming that I won through the GoodReads First Read program...those are going to have to take priority. So, my TBR pile just continues to grow. That's o.k.; it makes me happy to know I won't be running out of books to read any time soon!

One of the books I received is an ARC copy of Freezing Point by Karen Dionne. I will hopefully be getting to this one pretty soon. It really sounded intriguing. But, you can win a copy of this book, too. I got an e-mail from Karen today saying she's hosting a contest on her blog to give away five copies. The contest involves a little fun with photography, so if you're feeling creative, check it out!

Just a reminder to check back tomorrow. I'll be posting an interview with Ed Lynskey, the creator of the Frank Johnson series. Ed's The Blue Cheer is one of the books that distracted me from the Summer Reading Challenge, and I sure am glad it did!

Right now I have two anxious dogs waiting for me to take them out to play. So I wish you all Happy Reading and have a wonderful weekend!

The Shelf of Honor

I don't have very many signed books. This is my "shelf of honor":

If you're astute you will notice that Chasing Darkness is missing. That's the book I posted about not too long ago. Also missing from this shelf is A Welcome Grave. Normally I'm a stickler about not loaning my books out...especially ones from the "shelf of honor", but they are presently with my dad and sister (*gasp*). But, I know where to find them when I want them back, and my dad and sister know they take their lives in their hands if anything bad happens to the books. ;)

All of these books were signed for me. I don't go out looking for signed books. To me a book in a bookstore or online that's already been signed is worth no more than one that hasn't been. Each of the books I have a signature in comes with a special memory. I had the great pleasure to see Kathy Reichs in person, and of course Michael Koryta. My sister took my Robert Crais books to his event in California, but his inscriptions are extremely personal - to me. It's so nice that he makes such an effort to personalize the messages. My Lisa Unger novels were prizes from her Black Out contest. Again, she inscribed each one with a nice, personal message. And my copy of The Fourth Watcher is the book that Tim Hallinan sent for me to read and review - with a nice personal inscription. These books all have a special significance for me. I didn't collect the signatures to make the books more valuable to anyone but myself. I have no intention of trying to sell them - ever. I simply value them for their unique memories.

However, that mentality must not be the predominant one. Evidently, many readers simply want a book with a signature in it. No matter how they get the signature. Otherwise this article would have no basis. I have had contact with several authors this summer, and don't believe any of them would ever resort to this. They think far more of their readers. Harlan Coben even had a blog post about the privilege of signing books.

The optimist in me is going to hope the ad was a hoax. But regardless, I'll still only pursue signatures that mean something special to me...

Today's the Day...

Angel's Tip releases today. Can't wait to get these paws on MY copy!!

Hold Tight - Harlan Coben

In Harlan Coben's latest thriller, Hold Tight, Mike and Tia Baye experience a chilling couple of days because of a decision to put spyware on their son's computer.

When Mike and Tia learn through an e-mail that Adam is going to attend a party with drinking and drugs, they set out to intercept him and prevent him from going without letting on to the fact that they know, and even more importantly HOW they know. But something goes awry when there is no party. But where is Adam? That's when Mike starts following him via the GPS in Adam's cell phone. This plan leads Mike to a shady neighborhood where HE is attacked, and he still hasn't found Adam.

As if Mike Baye doesn't have enough to worry about, his medical partner, Ilene Goldfarb is treating Lucas Loriman, the son of his next door neighbors Susan and Dante Loriman. Through blood testing to find a kidney donor, they learn that Dante is not Lucas's father. The young boy doesn't have much hope unless they can locate his actual father or a paternal relative.

AND the plot continues to layer with the abductions and murders of two women connected to this same neighborhood. Those murders tie into a whole separate element of the novel - or so it seems to be separate.

Coben juggles a lot of characters and plot lines in this novel. He does bring them together at the end of the book, but you may want to have a small chart to keep track of everyone in the book. I found myself asking, "now which character is this again?" quite often throughout the book.

If you're a parent, this book might just scare the bejeebers out of you. The obvious question threaded throughout the entire book is "should you spy on your children?" And Coben doesn't give you his opinion one way or the other. That's the point of the multi-dimensional plot. He gives you a look at the evils of both options.

Coben has this knack for slowly giving you clues that you don't know you're getting. So you feel like you're in the dark with no idea where you're headed - and with the twists and turns in this novel, that just intensifies the feeling of being completely lost. But then he starts to bring all the pieces together and they make sense. I found myself saying, "of course!" more times than once as the book was drawing to a close. I will admit that there was one element I found too convenient in the end, but you can have that with fiction, I guess.

I think I've said this before about Coben, but every time I pick up one of his books I think it should be locked in a time capsule. He defines the statement "art imitates life." This book deals with present-day technology and the ethics surrounding that technology, but it also imitates the language and values of the present. While I do hope the events of this book aren't happening (or haven't happened) anywhere in the world, it isn't hard to imagine them happening because of the realism in all other elements of the book.

One of the other heavy topics that comes up in this book is teenage suicide. One of the characters commits suicide before the story begins. Coben gives the reader a glimpse of the effects this event has on both parents as well as the character's best friend. I've not had a child commit suicide, but I could definitely connect with Betsy Hill after this insight:

The house was dead.

That was how Betsy Hill would describe it. Dead. It wasn't merely quiet or still. The house was hollow, gone, deceased - its heart had stopped beating, the blood had stopped flowing, the innards had begun to decay.

Dead. Dead as a doornail, whatever the hell that meant.

Dead as her son, Spencer.

Don't look for a lot of character development in this novel. The focus is more on the ethical question of spying and on the plot development. Of course at 415 pages, if Coben had put in more character development, I might have been reading for another week. But I think the lack of character development was intentional. This approach made the scenario open to anyone. This isn't something that could happen to only a select, specific group of people, but rather it could happen to the family down the street...or even the family right there in your own home. And that is the scariest part of all.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week...

REALLY? How cool is that? The My Friend Amy blog is hosting this Book Blogger Appreciation Week. The week to appreciate the book bloggers is September 15-19, so will you send me flowers? No one ever sends me flowers! LOL Just kidding! If you're a book blogger, go check it out and register!

Really and truly I feel appreciated each and every time someone leaves me a comment or sends me an e-mail saying they are going to check out a book because of a review or interview I post. It's why I do what I do. I love to share the joys of the great books I find. And of course I feel appreciated when an author contacts me to say "thanks" or "will you read my book?" I'm still in awe, star-struck even, whenever that happens. So many thanks to all of you who read my ramblings. I am humbled!

Happy Reading!!

A Reading Questionnaire

There are two blogs that I've added to my regular reads recently, Patti's Pen and Picks and Lesa's Book Critiques. They each had this great reading questionnaire on their blogs lately, and I wanted to answer it, too, because they're great questions. So, here they are:

1. ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND NOW - Technically, I don't have a nightstand, but...Harlan Coben's Hold Tight. Waiting in the wings? Far too many to mention, but I will probably be reading an ARC I received called Freezing Point (by Karen Dionne) and Craig Johnson's Death Without Company. I was listening to Death on audio, but every CD was damaged, so I just said the heck with it and pulled out the book. It's too bad, too, because the reader on Johnson's novels is outstanding!

2. BOOK YOU'VE "FAKED" READING - The Stranger by Albert Camus. I was supposed to read it in senior English but I just thought it was so horrible, I absolutely couldn't finish it. I was an avid reader when I was young, but I was, after all, still a teenager!

3. BOOK YOU BOUGHT FOR THE COVER - I may break the hearts of every cover designer out there, but I've never bought a book because of a cover. I would actually be hard pressed to describe the covers of my favorite books. A title - yes, The Crime Writer caught my attention on the library shelf, but never a cover. The Crime Writer, by the way, has an incredible cover in the edition of the book for Spain!

4. FAVORITE BOOK WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD - I guess this question all depends on the stage of childhood. When I was very little and someone else was reading for me, I really liked Are You My Mother. Once I could read for myself I fell in love with Beverly Cleary - especially The Mouse and the Motorcycle; Judy Blume - what girl didn't love Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?; Louis Sachar - those Wayside books were hilarious; The Boxcar Children; Johnny Tremain; and Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series. As I got into my teenage years, I fell in love with Dickens and Shakespeare, Gone With the Wind and The Thornbirds.

5. BOOK THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE - Dante's Inferno.

6. FAVORITE LINE FROM A BOOK - I'm drawing a blank on this one. Not because I don't have favorite lines but because so many of them don't make sense out of context. The ending to Chasing Darkness was a pretty great line, though, so I'll use that one: "Maybe this is why I do what I do. I chase the darkness to make room for the light."

7. TOP FIVE FAVORITE AUTHORS - Robert Crais, Michael Koryta, Pat Conroy, Thomas Holland, Harlan Coben.

8. BOOKS YOU RECOMMEND AS REGENERATION WHEN PEOPLE SAY, "I'M BORED BY ALMOST ALL CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN WRITERS.": Most times this will depend on the person, but some of my staples: A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving), The Lords of Discipline (Pat Conroy), Gone Baby Gone (Dennis Lehane), L.A. Requiem (Robert Crais), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey).

9. BOOKS YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS NOT READ AND LOVED: Sorrow's Anthem (Michael Koryta), anything from the Myron Bolitar series (Harlan Coben), L.A. Requiem (Robert Crais), The Cold Dish (Craig Johnson)

10. BOOK YOU ARE AN "EVANGELIST" FOR: Absolutely anything by Michael Koryta, Alafair Burke or Robert Crais (not that RC needs MY help!), both books by Thomas Holland, The Cold Dish (Craig Johnson), The Fourth Watcher (Timothy Hallinan)

11. BOOK YOU MOST WANT TO READ AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME: Sorrow's Anthem (Michael Koryta).

Patti added a caveat at the end of her questionnaire that says: "subject to additions upon reminders and remembrances." That goes for me, too! :)

So, how would you answer these questions? Feel free to leave comments or carry this on to your OWN blog. Let us know you did so we can come and check it out!

Happy Reading!!

Chatting with Tim Hallinan

When I posted my Q&A with Alafair Burke, Timothy Hallinan stopped by to check it out. After, he contacted me and asked me if I would read and review his book The Fourth Watcher. WOW! I was pretty awe-struck. No one had ever asked me to read their book before. And yeah, yeah, before anyone starts saying, "oh, that's why Jen gave him such a good review." NO WAY! The only thing I'll ever promise anyone with a review is my honest opinion. And my honest opinion of The Fourth Watcher was "it's fantastic!" I don't "fake it" well, so you would have been able to tell right off the bat if I wasn't being honest.

That being said, Tim will always have a special place in my heart for respecting me and my opinion enough to send me his book.

The Fourth Watcher is the follow-up novel to A Nail Through the Heart. Both center around Poke, a travel-book writer, in Bangkok. Poke isn't your traditional travel book writer, though. Poke writes books that focus on the traveler who is "looking for trouble." So, Poke's research tends to put his life in "troublesome" spots. Also prominent in Poke's life are his girlfriend/fiance Rose and his adopted daughter Miaow.

After reading The Fourth Watcher and scrounging around to discover what else I could learn about Tim, I turned to the man himself. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy writing schedule...I know he has a deadline looming here pretty soon...and answer some of my questions.

So, let's get to know this fascinating author a little better. My fellow readers, I present to you, Timothy Hallinan!

Q. "Poke" is a very unique character name. Was there an inspiration for this name or was it merely born from your imagination?

Tim: "Poke" is a nickname that was given to him as a baby by his Filipina mother, Angela Obregon, because he kept poking his nose into everything, and especially things that babies should leave alone, like sharp knives, electric nailers, and his great-grandmother's china. (This was in the first book I ever wrote about him, but that book was written solely to familiarize myself with his world and was never submitted for publication. Some day the moment will come in a book when that explanation would make sense, and I'll leap at it.) In the meantime, however, the name has proven to be prophetic, since he continues to poke his nose into dangerous places. In other words, it's completely imaginary.

Q. Does Poke embody any of your own traits/qualities? Other than a sharp wit that is!

Tim: He's a writer, and I think that's a mindset more than it is a profession. Both Poke and I tend to see the world as narrative, which means that we both believe we can to some extent "write" our lives. (Even if it's hard to rewrite it.) I look back at my life and see a series of linked stories with themes that change depending on what my perspective of the moment is, and when I look at the future, I see it as something that I can play a role in shaping, the same way I would shape a story. In the Poke books there's always a point at which he sits down and starts running through potential scenarios - what will happen if he does this, what will happen if he does that. In NAIL, he does a sort of "floor plan" of where he is, looking for connections and a safe exit. In WATCHER, he actually works his way through a potential course of action that might get everyone out of trouble...

"...trying to sequence the stepping-stones that might lead them out of this cataclysm. Looking for the surprise, the wrong turn, the ankle-breaker, the gate that won't open, the twig that will snap in the night, the stone that's poised over a hole a hundred feed deep.

He knows he can't see it all. So small things first. Things he knows how to do. "

What he's doing is writing. And in this case, he writes his way out.

Q. What has been an especially fun and/or memorable event that has happened on the book tour for The Fourth Watcher?

Tim: They're all fun, every store, every stop. One thing you realize is that the people who put their lives into running independent bookstores are just heroes. They care about their customers; they care about writers; they care about books. It's a low-margin business that's been badly impacted by all sorts of things - Amazon, the chains, the slow death of newspaper reviews - but they're hanging on because they enjoy spending their time surrounded by books and interacting with people who read. And I don't know about you but when I go into a house and there are no books, I get creeped out. What do these people do with their time?

Q. What kinds of hobbies or interests occupy your time when you aren't writing?

Tim: I pretty much write, read, and travel. I must read 75 - 100 books a year, sometimes more. And I spend a lot of time in airplanes, which used to be a lot more fun than it is now. And I have the great good fortune to be married to someone I love without any reservations at all, and spending time with her is actually the most fun I ever have.

Q. You obviously have a love for Southeast Asia: the Poke Rafferty series is set in Bangkok; you have apartments in Thailand and Cambodia. Peter over at Detectives Beyond Borders helped us find out what got you to Thailand; how did you end up in Cambodia? And what are some of things about these areas that you wish more Westerners were aware of?

Tim: I first went through Cambodia to research the Cambodian backstory to A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART. It's an endlessly fascinating place, with a tremendously conflicted past and present. For the past three decades it's been the poor cousin of Southeast Asia, deeply envious of the boom economies of Thailand and Vietnam. In the seventies, they had the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge, who in four years killed one-quarter of the population. And way, way back there, sort of shimmering like the last notes of a gong struck a long time ago, is the glory that was Angkor, which ruled all the way from what is now Southern China down to Java - just an enormous empire that more or less collapsed overnight in the 12th century, leaving the ruins in the jungles and the imprint of lost empire on the people's memories.

What I wish more visitors understood is that what they - the visitors - experience as exotic and even odd is just daily life for the people who live there. It's sort of like the way we feel when we look at photos of people from, say the 19th century: we think they must know somehow that they're wearing costumes, that the world they live in is sort of quaint and cozy - when in fact, it was often brutal, terrifying, unsatisfying, occasionally transcendentally beautiful, that it was, in fact, the real world as far as they were concerned. And the same things are true of the monks in the temples and the people living in the stilt-houses over the rivers and the village kids following the buffalo along the dirt roads to the rice paddy.

Q. You've had a variety of writing experiences in your career. What or who originally sparked an interest in writing for you? Do you have any writers you feel have influenced your work and style?

Tim: Since reading is my favorite pastime, I always wondered whether I could write. Dickens was the first writer to completely capture my imagination, and from him I learned that it's important to establish character strongly, preferably as soon as possible after the reader meets the character for the first time. The writer who most influenced me in terms of work habits was Anthony Trollope, Dickens' contemporary, who wrote every day of his adult life with a clock running - and if he finished a novel with three minutes left, he reached for a blank sheet and started the next one. (Trollope said, "If boot-makers waited for inspiration, we would all be barefoot.") But it was Raymond Chandler who taught me that good writing didn't have to call attention to itself - that good writing simply moved the story forward in the best, most economical, and most memorable way. That it could almost be hidden, and in fact probably should be.

Q. When you started writing novels, you were working in the television industry. What did you do in that chapter of your career? What's a standout memory from that time? Do any experiences from that time period play into your writing now?

Tim: I was a consultant to large companies that sponsored television shows - IBM, General Motors, Hallmark, Ford, Bank of America, and a bunch of others. The job was to work with them to decide what kinds of programs they should sponsor to reach their core audience, and then to make sure that those programs did reach those audiences. At one point, my company had more than 50 people, in New York, Los Angeles, and London.

The greatest memory I have of that time is working with Katherine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier on a wonderful show called "Love Among the Ruins." It was one of the great privileges of my life, and they were both completely unforgettable people.

Q. Speaking of moving pictures, if the Poke Rafferty series were to be turned into a TV series (like, say Spenser for Hire) or a big screen movie (like, say, Hostage), is there an actor out there that you think would make a good Poke?

Tim: For the movies, Johnny Depp. He's who I had in mind when I first wrote Poke. For TV, I have no idea, but any actor who projects intelligence would be great.

Q. Will we be seeing more of Poke, Rose and Miaow in the near future? How about Agent Elson? The Fourth Watcher seemed to leave a door open for him to return. Is he going to be a regular face?

Tim: If you don't see more of Poke and the family, it'll be because I can't finish the next book, which is presently called MISDIRECTION and is scheduled for release next summer. I think Elson might show up in the future - I certainly had that in mind when I had him assigned to Bangkok at the end of the book - but who knows? I also think Ming Li will be back.

Q. I like to ask this question of everyone I highlight on my blog: There is a book out called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. What would be YOUR six-word memoir?

Tim: Lived seriously but wrote for fun.

When Tim said that he had Johnny Depp in mind while creating Poke, I thought, "wow! I knew Poke always felt familiar to me, and I couldn't place why. But Depp would be a perfect Poke!" And I'm really looking forward to MISDIRECTION. When you connect with characters like Poke and gang, you miss them in the intervals between books.

I'm also with Tim on the creeped out feeling from folks with no books. They're probably playing video games!

Tim has a great blog at his website. I have it on my bloglines and look forward to the days when there is a new post listed. You can find out more about Tim and both the Poke Rafferty novels at his site as well.

Tim, my sincerest thanks for making time for me and my questions. It has been a wonderful experience getting to know Poke through the books and you through this interview!

And to all, Happy Reading!!

A Groupie...Who Me?

Can authors have groupies? If they can, I think I can officially fit the bill now!

About a month ago, my friend Naomi sends me an e-mail and says, "Michael doesn't have his event schedule on the website yet, but I found out he's going to be at our book club at Foul Play bookstore on August 13th. Do you want to come down?" The offer didn't even require thought! You betcha!

So, yesterday I drove down to Westerville, Ohio, which is just outside of Columbus. I got to meet Naomi face to face for the first time. What a fabulous lady! Just love her. I got to visit the Foul Play bookstore for the first time. What a cool store - definitely going back there! I got to join in the book club meeting and discuss Rex Stout's Fer de Lance. I'm so envious that they have this awesome club! And...and...and I got to see Michael Koryta! You just can't top a night like that!! :) The weather was beautiful, and we sat out on the back patio of the store - which is an old Victorian home by the way. (Can you tell how excited I still am? I used "got" how many times? And I HATE that word! ha)



Michael read from his latest release, Envy the Night. It is such a treat to hear him read his own work. I know I've said this before, but you really have to go see him in person if you have the chance to do so.

I had to ask about the dedication in Envy. It says "To Dennis Lehane, who remembered the elevator." Hmmm, very intriguing. Plus, I'm a busy body. I'll admit it. Anyway, for anyone else who might be intrigued by this dedication, the story behind it is an awesome one. If you don't know, Dennis Lehane has been a significant influence on Michael, both through his writing and his mentoring. So Michael explained that Dennis believes when you ride the elevator of success, you don't get off on the top floor of your success, instead you ride it back down, helping the others who are trying to go up...through teaching and mentoring and whatnot. This analogy doesn't originate with Dennis, but isn't it awesome? I walked away feeling more respect for Dennis Lehane AND Michael. Dennis because he does give that support to others and Michael for being so appreciative of it. Michael was also mentioning how Michael Connelly has been very generous with support as well. He said both Michael and Dennis must feel sorry for him because he's the "pitiful kid pushing the pull door." That just cracked me up. He's so witty! And he's definitely NOT pitiful. If you listen to him in person you know he has a story-telling gift. And that doesn't come from anywhere except himself!



O.k., so the future for Michael's books is The Silent Hour. I will have to wait about a year. It'll come out next summer. Which is great news if you haven't read any of the Lincoln Perry series yet. This gives you time to catch up. The Silent Hour will be the fourth Lincoln Perry novel. AND there's a second stand-alone in the works to follow The Silent Hour.



And you know me, I can't NOT get pictures. They look a little washed out because it was so sunny where I was sitting. I certainly can't complain about that...

But, I owe MANY, MANY, MANY thanks to Naomi who took this fabulous one of Michael and Moi. I'm thinking of blowing it up and hanging it in my living room...just kidding...maybe ;)

But hello, dunce that I am, all in my excited fog, I didn't get a picture of Naomi. I guess that means I for sure have to make another trip to visit her so that I can get a picture of us to share on here. I was so thrilled to have a friend to talk books with last night. She let me run on and on about my blog...I started thinking on my way back home that I'm not sure if I made a complete coherent thought because I was just so excited to have someone to share all this with! Bless her for tolerating me! :)



And I have to share this picture...also taken by Naomi - she's getting a second job as a photographer after this...

This incredibly fun woman is Toni Cross. She and her husband, John, are the Foul Play's owners. Anyone who has cats in their bookstore AND hosts Michael...WOW! You just can't top that! PLUS, she and Naomi ooh'd and aah'd over my author mini scrapbook!



O.k., since I have to admit that I am a Michael Koryta groupie...we need to have a name for the groupies...RC's fans are the "Craisies", Lee Child's fans are the "Reacher Creatures", and I learned last night that the fans of Rex Stout are part of the Wolfe Pack...does that make them pups? Anyway...we need something catchy for Michael's fans. I've been contemplating this, but I've only come up with sub-par ideas so far. I'll continue contemplating, but send ideas my way if you have them.



My sincerest thanks go out to Naomi for inviting me to Foul Play. I so enjoyed finally meeting you face to face, my friend! And to the Crosses for hosting such a wonderful author event and letting me come. And of course to Michael for continuing to do what he does so well and sharing it with the world. I know I enjoy the world a little bit more because of it!



Happy Reading!! :)